A Worn Path

Long before Welty reveals Phoenix’s motivation for making the long and difficult journey to Natchez, readers sense a vague yet essential “something” that propels Phoenix forward. So much narrative detail focuses on the what and how of Phoenix’s journey that the why remains artfully obscured until the final reveal at the doctor’s clinic: Phoenix risked her life traveling miles across the rural landscape for her grandson. She temporarily forgets the reason until prompted by the nurse’s questions, but her unreliable memory is less of an obstruction than the wild landscape. Her body and force of habit sustain her purpose and carry her forward, revealing the power of love and devotion as the primary theme of “A Worn Path.”

The story shows that love can be tough and enduring. Phoenix embodies these qualities in the way she interacts with the environment and other people. Later in the story readers learn that she makes the lengthy trek “as regular as clockwork” (147). Everything she does is for her grandson, and she is willing to repeatedly jeopardize her own well-being for the sake of his survival. The repetitive quality of her journey suggests that love is a dutiful task that takes priority over the caretaker’s personal comfort and preferences.